Chapter 2 Flashcards
(6 cards)
Describe what is going on in the Flammarion engraving. What idea is the artist expressing?
The Flammarion engraving shows a dome of our world, with a person trying to peer through or behind the appearance of what he can see in our world to the strange world beyond. He wants to know what is going on behind the scenes, to know what causes what we see in our world. The artist is showing there is a distinction between what we observe and what’s really going on behind the scenes, that how the world works is not always as straightforward as how it looks.
What is the difference between observation and theory?
Observation is a description of what we see, the facts everyone can agree on. Theory is explaining why the observations are that way, why things are the way they are.
What are the two parts that make up the problem of change?
1) Diversity - there are lots of different kinds of things in existence
2) Motion/Change - these many things move and change
Who was the philosopher behind the “First Enlightenment” in the 500s BC? What was his explanation for the problem of change?
Thales of Miletus taught that the Greek gods weren’t causing the change visible in the world. Rather, it was the world acting on its own. He also said that we could use reason to figure out what causes the natural motion, and himself hypothesized that everything in the universe must be made of the same substance: water.
What is the motto of the Pythagoreans? What does it mean?
“All is number”. This means that the universe is a mathematical cosmos, built on math and ordered by perfect mathematical laws. Using math, we can understand the universe.
What are Aristotle’s “natures”?
His “natures” are the internal causes in each thing that drives it towards its natural place of rest. E.g., if an apple falls to the ground, Aristotle would say that the apple’s nature is to go towards the center of the earth.
